A Woodruff man received a five-year prison sentence, but is expected to serve four months for his part in a counterfeit check scheme involving the Spartanburg County Clerk of Court's Office.

By KIM KIMZEYkim.kimzey@shj.com

A Woodruff man received a five-year prison sentence, but is expected to serve four months for his part in a counterfeit check scheme involving the Spartanburg County Clerk of Court's Office.Tura Le Van Miller, 34, of 4006 Highway 417, pleaded guilty Tuesday to four counts of forgery.Circuit Court Judge R. Ferrell Cothran ordered Miller to pay about $7,800 in restitution to the businesses where he cashed the forged checks. Cothran sentenced Miller to five years, suspended to six months and five years probation on one count, and five years' suspended to 90 days and five years probation on the other three counts. The sentences run concurrently, and Miller received credit for the 62 days he has served at the Spartanburg County Detention Facility. Cothran added a provision that Miller will get off probation sooner if he pays the restitution quickly.Bogus checks were created last summer with banking information from the Clerk of Court's Family Division. The counterfeit checks had the routing account number for child support checks, but were not issued by the office.Seventh Circuit Assistant Solicitor Jennifer Jordan told Cothran that Miller made the checks out to his name and cashed them at Walmart stores in Spartanburg County.Public defender James Cheek said Miller told him he did not create the counterfeit checks, nor did he know the banking information was that of the Clerk of Court's Office."He was drawn into this," Cheek said of Miller's involvement.Jordan provided a letter to Cothran on behalf of Spartanburg County Clerk of Court Hope Blackley. The Clerk of Court's Office provided the Herald-Journal with a copy of the statement. It reads: "These acts of forgery caused major hardship and strain on the Clerk of Court Office and staff. Our goal in the Clerk's Office is to have and promote accountability and perform our duties to the best of our abilities. The distrust that the staff had to endure from businesses and banks from around the county because of these crimes meant extra hours of work and attention to a matter that should not have been an issue. I respectfully ask that an appropriate sentence be given to reflect the act of these crimes with the hope that this will not happen again."Courtney Kiandra Cheeks, 23, of 100 Prince Hall Lane, Apt. 7-8, and Natalya Suprunchik, 25, of Spartanburg were arrested in July and charged with forgery in connection with the case. Neither has been tried, according to online court records.

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